More Than STEM – How the quiet work of investing in Guyana’s young people is shaping the next generation of Guyanese leaders

Jul 19, 2026 Features / Columnists, News

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By Alisha Koulen
STEMGuyana Operations Manager

(Alisha will be heading off to Columbia University to pursue a MA Degree in Climate and Society.)

(Kaieteur News) – My journey to Columbia University is not simply my story. It is what can happen when someone believes in a young person long before the rest of the world does.

When I received my admission letter from Columbia University, I did not immediately picture life in New York. I questioned whether I should accept it, because of the astronomical tuition fees. Then, I thought about all the nights my mother sat beside me while I studied as a child. I thought about the impoverished community I was raised in. I thought about the work I had done with STEM Guyana until that point and the children whose lives were significantly impacted because of opportunities we created.  I found myself wanting to tell a different story. Not another story about hardship, but a story about investment, because I have come to believe that what changes lives is not simply resilience, but a combination of grit, opportunity, mentorship and belief.

I have previously written and spoken about my humble beginnings and how those experiences shaped me, but I never want them to completely define me. So, for this article I want to focus on people who invested in me and the organisation that quietly taught and prepared me for my next journey.

I returned to Guyana in 2020, after completing my MSc in Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development. I was excited to get a job and start a career but was quickly humbled.  Despite sending scores of applications, there were no jobs available in my field, then COVID hit. After a year of unsuccessful job hunting, I was selected for a 1-year apprenticeship programme with the Department of Environment in Antigua and Barbuda. After completing that programme in 2022, I believed I had gained enough technical climate experience and was eager to contribute to Guyana. Unfortunately, I still could not find a job, and I recall wondering whether all that preparation would ever translate into meaningful work.

Then I saw an opening at STEM Guyana. I felt I was overqualified for the Programme Analyst position, but something about the organisation’s mission resonated with me. I got the job, along with an updated, competitive contract revised to match my experience and qualifications. That detail matters. Not many employers in Guyana would restructure an entire contract to honour what a young person brings to the table. That single act of respect told me everything about the organisation I was joining.

For the first three months, it was hectic; I was monitoring and evaluating our learning pod programmes from coach training to building our volunteer programme from the ground up. I remember asking myself if I had made the right decision. There was so much to learn, and I wasn’t sure I could keep up.

I quickly learned that Karen’s leadership style is such that she gives you responsibility. We often joke that her response was usually, “Figure it out.” Over time, I realised she was intentionally building problem-solvers.

I was managing all our programmes and preparing the organisation to scale by the end of my first year. When my director offered to promote me to Operations Manager (with increased responsibilities and a pay raise). I accepted the responsibilities and the increase but did not want the title. The title meant I would have to be public facing, and I wanted to stay behind the scenes. She, however, insisted it was an excellent experience for me and made certain I got the exposure that helped me to blossom.

As my responsibilities grew, so did my understanding of leadership. It is not always glamorous, but it requires you to work harder, make tough decisions, and carry the responsibility for programmes that affect hundreds of children. One of the most important lessons I learned was that leadership requires courage and a willingness to believe in a vision long before anyone else can see the finished product. Together, our team scaled the learning pod programme to 40 locations across Guyana, trained over 100 volunteers and over 50 coaches. Some of the young people who once participated in our programmes eventually returned as coaches and that, to me, is one of the greatest measures of success, not just building practical skills, but ensuring our young people are well-rounded, equipped with the soft skills that will carry them through life and make them globally competitive.

Perhaps the greatest surprise was that while I was helping to develop young people, I was also developing. I became living proof of the STEM Guyana design. I found myself applying for opportunities that took me to the 18th Conference of Youth and COP28 in the United Arab Emirates. I began accepting invitations for panel interviews, nationally, regionally, internationally, and was featured on the BBC news. I was also recently selected as an in-person delegate for the World Bank Youth Summit in Washington DC. Earlier, I was selected as a Youth Policy Board member under the World Food Forum, an initiative of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization. I also currently serve as an academic advisor with World’s Youth for Climate Justice Caribbean Front, and as the Assistant Secretary of the newly established Guyana chapter of EarthMedic/EarthNurse non-profit organisation, that focuses on Climate Health. Now, this September, I officially begin my Master’s in Climate and Society at Columbia University on partial scholarship.

I have come a far way from where I started, and I owe thanks to my community, and most of all, the unshakeable determination of my mother.

Now, as I prepare to leave my role as Operations Manager to further develop at Columbia, I am as much a product of STEM Guyana as I was an employee.  We did not just implement programmes; every one of us on the team became a living, breathing example of everything we pour into our programmes and our youths.

I want to especially extend my gratitude to the director of STEM Guyana, Karen Abrams for her expert mentorship, her good counsel, and her unwavering hope in the youths of Guyana. I am in complete admiration of how deeply she believes in changing the landscape for the youth of this country, and of the courage it takes to keep the programme going, year after year. The future is in great hands with leaders like her. I thank her for her support.

I hope readers understand that my story is not extraordinary because I am extraordinary. Guyana is full of brilliant young people whose potential simply needs an opportunity, access. If my journey represents anything, it’s hope. The kind that is built through resilience, hard work, and people who believe in you. To the young person who feels overlooked, submit one more application; accept that invitation to speak publicly; do that thing that terrifies you. Not every opportunity changes your life, but every opportunity teaches you something that prepares you for the next one. Are you preparing for the next one?

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• Alisha Koulen, Biodiversity Conservation, Guyanese leaders, STEMGuyana, young people

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